I just released a new music video that I think would be a great start to a home school history lesson.

Count ten seconds and find out you're old news. A word of warning in the form of a slow geopolitical blues trip through the history of downfall and scandal as presented in radio and TV journalism. Features double bass, electric keyboard, slide guitar, and a montage of historical audio and video news clips.

Related & Hudson Companies would like to invite residents of Roosevelt Island to an exclusive first-look at Riverwalk Park on June 6th at 12 pm. Riverwalk Park will be 100% affordable for individuals and families that earn between 40-165% of the Area Median Income. Fifty percent of the units are reserved for current residents of Manhattan Community Board 8.

We’ll talk timing, the application process, and we’ll detail exactly how we calculate your income and assets for this program. More than anything we wanted an opportunity to talk to you. Please don’t forget to RSVP.

Roosevelt Island Historical Society(RIHS) President Judy Berdy invites local dogs and their families to an afternoon of fun and treats at the Visitors Center Kiosk on Saturday June 6. According to Ms Berdy:

The MTA is doing everything it can to safely welcome back more essential customers during Phase 1 and the additional riders who will return in the coming weeks and months. Here’s what you can expect👇https://t.co/HWSsB4ZrcU

and continued on Main Street to Good Shepherd Plaza where Eneaqua Lewis was one of several residents who spoke passionately about the reasons for the March and Black Lives Matter. According to Ms Lewis, a 38 year resident of Roosevelt Island:

... When i see that video I see my brother with a cop on his neck. I see my son who is 12 years old laying on the floor with a knee on his neck. I see my brother's friends and see my cousins. I see my neighbors. How many more times do I got to see it? Why is it OK? Guess what Roosevelt Island, you're not off the hook. There's racism here too.....

Thalia St. Hubert, 20, organized the peaceful demonstration Wed. night on Roosevelt Island, NY. "To bring my small community together, to fight for something we believe in, is just so powerful." pic.twitter.com/NzVPANZC09

Taking a knee for 9 minutes at Roosevelt Island March For Justice. Residents of all colors together. NYPD officers too. Fantastic job by the young Roosevelt Island youth organizers. Very proud of them. pic.twitter.com/noAh1ZtULu

MY ROOSEVELT ISLAND PEOPLE!! We have been organizing a March for Justice in light of the ongoing police brutality and injustices taking place across the country. We’re calling our community to come together this Wednesday, June 3rd to honor the POC who’ve lost their lives at the hands of an unjust system. We will gather at Cornell Tech and march to the church for a vigilance. There will be a time for people to speak about their experiences and thoughts related to what’s been going on. If you would like to speak feel free to reach out or just prepare something. Please bring posters, artwork, candles or flashlights, flowers or anything else. Photographers and videographers are welcome to document. This march is meant to be PEACEFUL, but is a way for us to come together in solidarity and fight for our black brothers and sisters.”

Hope to see you all there!

I asked the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) about any safety precautions being taken for the March.

RIOC Public Information Officer Terrence McCauley replied:

Our citizens have a constitutional right to protest peacefully and safely. Governor Andrew Cuomo has reminded New Yorkers participating in protests to take proper health precautions and wear face coverings while we continue to fight the COVID-19 virus. The RIOC Public Safety department is working closely with the NYPD to monitor and ensure a safe demonstration on the island.

As of this afternoon, RIOC had not advised Roosevelt Island Main Street shopkeepers and building managers on any safety precautions to take.

It is now been over three months since America shutdown to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 5.5 million people have been infected worldwide, and 350,000 have died. The epicenter, America accounts for a third of these infections and some 100,000 deaths. A third of all US infections and deaths are in the two most affected States, New York and New Jersey. The combined health, human, economic and social impacts of COVID-19 have been devastating, and felt harder in countries with limited safety nets, including the US. With countless bankruptcies of small and big businesses, already 38 million are out of job as unemployment could reach 20%. Poverty and food insecurity are raising, as the 2020 GDP prospects could go down double-digit. Congress has passed unprecedented bills of over US$6 trillion for the national emergency response to support the American people and the economy. The US Federal Reserve Bank and Treasury Department are taking aggressive actions to reduce financial stresses and support credit flows to mitigate the impact from long-lasting economic losses.

In New York, the health indicators are improving. It seems that the emergency phase of the epidemic here is seriously receding. As we continue to be grateful to and support our heroic front-liners for helping and saving thousands of souls, we are in grief and we mourn the loss of so many people everywhere, our fellow New Yorkers and Roosevelt islanders. According to the NYC Health Department, 229 Roosevelt islanders have been infected and 32 deaths are deplored. We express our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones. We will cherish their memory, and when this is over, we will properly honor them.

New Yorkers have valiantly resisted, and so have Roosevelt Islanders. NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo’s words are encouraging, but the pandemic is far from over. Some 100 fellow New Yorkers are still dying of COVID-19 and over 1,000 new cases are registered daily in New York State, including on Roosevelt Island. And other parts of the country are experiencing sharp increases in number of cases and deaths. Let us remember that the nice Summer days ahead are no sign of an early end to COVID-19. We must continue face covering in public and physical distancing at all time.

Monday, June 1, 2020

There are exemptions. It does not apply to first responders, health care workers, essential workers going to and from work, homeless New Yorkers, people seeking medical treatment or medical supplies and members of the press. https://t.co/DxXZ5k64Vp

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio today announced a citywide curfew in New York City will take effect beginning at 11 PM tonight and will be lifted at 5 AM tomorrow morning.

The Governor and the Mayor also announced that the New York City Police Department will double its police presence to help prevent violence and property damage. The additional officers will be deployed to areas where violence and property damage occurred during last night's protests - specifically in lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.

The Governor and the Mayor also reminded New Yorkers participating in protests to take proper health precautions and wear face coverings while we continue to fight the COVID-19 virus.

"I stand behind the protestors and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment," Governor Cuomo said. "The violence and the looting has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining and distracting from this righteous cause. While we encourage people to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, the safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised. Tonight the Mayor and I are implementing a citywide curfew starting at 11 PM and doubling the NYPD presence across the city."

"I support and protect peaceful protest in this city. The demonstrations we've seen have been generally peaceful. We can't let violence undermine the message of this moment. It is too important and the message must be heard. Tonight, to protect against violence and property damage, the Governor and I have decided to implement a citywide curfew," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "The Police Commissioner and I have spoken at length about the incidents we've all seen in recent days where officers didn't uphold the values of this city or the NYPD. We agree on the need for swift action. He will speak later today on how officers will be held accountable."

On MandaLeigh Blunt and Jeff Laszczych’s third date, they donned masks, joined gloved hands — and drove to an antibody testing site.

Blunt, a 32-year-old realtor, says she was “chronically single” before the pandemic. But in February, she plucked up the courage to ask a mutual friend to set her up with Laszczych. She’d seen her 36-year-old crush around Roosevelt Island, where she lives and where Laszczych works as a sergeant in the public safety department.

The two went on as many dates — a dinner in Brooklyn and lunch at her apartment — before the coronavirus crisis rocked the fledgling relationship. “Two days later, he spiked a fever of 104,” she says. Laszczych, who had trouble breathing, was admitted to the hospital for six days. Blunt was worried, but didn’t want to come on too strong.

“It was a lot of freaking out if I didn’t hear from him, wondering if he was OK, and thinking, ‘Wait, I don’t even know this guy, he could be ghosting me,’ ” says Blunt. Eventually, Laszczych, who recovered from COVID-19 in his Greenpoint apartment, began to feel better, and the duo continued to bond from a distance. Three weeks after Laszczych’s release from the hospital, the couple went to CityMD to get tested for novel coronavirus antibodies together....

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Of Directors Operations Advisory Committee will meet next Tuesday, June 2, to discuss the Roosevelt Island Coronavirus reopening plan as well as active construction projects. The meeting will be conducted via videoconference and open to the public.

I asked RIOC President Susan Rosenthal and the RIOC Directors:

Will the public be able to participate during the upcoming RIOC Board Committee meeting videoconferences as they do during in person meetingns?

NOTE: Although there is no public comment period on the agendas of the June 2 committee meetings, the public is invited to submit questions if they wish. The questions may or may not be addressed by the committee chairs. Questions may be submitted by clicking here: http://rioc.ny.gov/FormCenter/Meetings-4/Speakup-43

I'd like to know about opening the ball fields for socially distant recreation,

Great question for @RIOCny Astoria Park Field is open so people can walk around, get fresh air while maintaining social distance. Why not on Roosevelt Island? https://t.co/M2W5Q9LZQU

Cornell Tech has done a community service keeping the campus oval open for Socially Distant recreation by Roosevelt Island residents. ⁦@RIOCny⁩ could learn a lesson and open Roosevelt Island ball fields for same. pic.twitter.com/fmUIPHgAEz

Due to ongoing Motorgate repair work, significant parking and traffic pattern changes will be coming to the south sections of 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B and 8B on June 3, 2020. Please keep an eye out for signs and obey posted speed limits.

AVAC Repairs

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) continues to make repairs on the AVAC system. In the meantime, DSNY will pick up trash to ensure our island remains clean. We will keep everyone informed of their progress.

Farmers Market This Saturday

The Farmers Market will resume this Saturday in Good Shepherd Plaza from 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Click here for more information: rioc.ny.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=284.

Note: there will be NO Food Scrap Drop Off collection. If youes wish for the Compost Program to return, please follow @SaveNYCCompost on twitter for more information.

Related & Hudson Companies would like to invite residents of Roosevelt Island to an exclusive first-look at Riverwalk Park on Saturday, June 6th at 12 pm. Riverwalk Park will be 100% affordable for individuals and families that earn between 40-165% of the Area Median Income. Fifty percent of the units are reserved for current residents of Manhattan Community Board 8. The company will talk timing, the application process, and will detail exactly how they calculate your income and assets for this program. More than anything they wanted an opportunity to talk to you. Please don’t forget to RSVP.

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WELCOME TO ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Welcome to the Roosevelt Islander Online!

Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.

The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.